While you want to pick a homeowners insurance company that’s reliable and that you can count on to pay up when you’ve got a claim, the fact of the matter is you’re much better off avoiding anything that might lead to an insurance claim in the first place. Most accidents in the home are preventable, and most of the time there are things you can do to minimize the damage when an accident does occur.

Here are some of the most basic and most important home safety tips you can follow:

Be ready to respond to an emergency. Make sure there’s a telephone within reach of your bed and of wherever it is you sit in the house most often. Today, most folks have cell phones that can sit nicely on you night stand at night or in your pocket during the day.

In addition, you should make sure you know who to call. Emergency Dispatch (that’s the local “911” operators) service most areas in the United States, but if you’re not in one of those areas make sure you have emergency phone numbers saved on your cell phone address book and printed out near every land line in the house.

You should also keep a first aid kit handy, both in your home and in your car.

Avoid house fires. One of the most common reasons for a homeowners insurance claim is a house fire. Here again, avoiding a house fire is usually pretty basic. Make sure you have smoke alarms installed and test them regularly. Change the batteries yearly.

You should also have fire extinguishers in the kitchen, as well as strategically placed in other locations around the house.

A good part of avoiding house fires is just not being careless. For example, if you smoke, don’t smoke in bed. Don’t overload your outlets or extension cords. Don’t store flammable liquids near heaters. Take extra caution with space heaters.

Watch out for falls. The most common liability claims on your homeowners insurance are going to be due to falls. Make sure your staircases are very well lit, and that you have night lights on near the stairs at all times. You’ll also want to keep your stairs free of any kind of debris or clutter. You should avoid going up or down the stairs when you’re carrying something that will either block your line of sight or throw off your balance, too.

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